Susan Margaret Collins (b. December 7, 1952, in Caribou, Maine) is a Republican member of the U.S. Senate from Maine. Collins was first elected to the Senate in 1996 and is currently serving her third term.

Prior to her election in the Senate Collins served as Deputy State Treasurer of Massachusetts.[2]

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Collins is a more moderate right of center Republican Party vote. As a result, she may break with the Republican Party line more than her fellow members.

Biography

Collins was born in 1952 in Caribou, Maine, where she also attended high school. She earned her B.A. from St. Lawrence University in 1975. Before seeking office herself, Collins had worked on the staff of now-former Senator William S. Cohen.[2]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Collins' professional and political career[2]:

Staff Director of the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on the Oversight of Government Management, 1981-1987

Commissioner of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, 1987-1992

New England Regional Director, United States Small Business Administration, 1992

2011-2012

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[6] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Collins's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[7]

National security

John Brennan CIA nomination

Collins voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.[8]

Economy

Farm bill

On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[9] It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[10] Collins voted with 22 other Republicansenators against the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[11][12] The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill.[12] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[13] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts. Collins voted with the 17 Republican and the 55 Democratic members in favor of the bill.[11][12]

Government shutdown

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[14] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Collins voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.[15]

The proposed budget would have cut about $5 trillion over the next decade and aimed to balance the budget by the end of the 10-year period.[17]

Some tea party members of the GOP opposed the measure because of its reliance on $600 billion-plus in tax revenues on the wealthy enacted in January 2013, in order to balance the budget.[16] Others in the Senate opposed the Ryan plan because of cuts from safety net programs for the poor and the inclusion of a plan to turn the Medicare program for the elderly into a voucher-like system for future beneficiaries born in 1959 or later.[16]

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Collins voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[8]

2013 Senate Budget Proposal

Collins voted against the 2013 Senate Budget Proposal.[8] On March 23, after an all-night debate that ended just before 5 a.m., by a 50 to 49 vote the Democratically controlled Senate approved its first budget in four years. No Republicans voted for the Senate plan, and four Democrats opposed it. All four are from red states and are up for re-election in 2014. Collins was one of the four Democrats who voted against the budget proposal.[8]

The approved plan is a $3.7 trillion budget for 2014 and would provide a fast track for passage of tax increases, trim spending modestly and leave the government still deeply in the red for the next decade.

The approval of a budget in the Senate began the process of setting up contentious, and potentially fruitless, negotiations with the Republican-controlled House starting in April to reconcile two vastly different plans for dealing with the nation’s economic and budgetary problems.

The House plan would have brought the government’s taxes and spending into balance by 2023 with cuts to domestic spending even below the levels of automatic across-the-board cuts for federal programs now, and it orders up dramatic and controversial changes to Medicare and the tax code.

The Senate plan differed greatly, and included $100 billion in upfront infrastructure spending to bolster the economy and calls for special fast-track rules to overhaul the tax code and raise $975 billion over 10 years in legislation that could not be filibustered. Even with that tax increase and prescribed spending cuts, the plan approved by the Senate would leave the government with a $566 billion annual deficit in 10 years, and $5.2 trillion in additional debt over that window.

Immigration

Mexico-U.S. border

Collins voted for Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[8]

Social issues

Violence Against Women (2013)

Collins voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[8]

Background checks on gun sales

On April 17, 2013, the U.S. Senate took a vote on and defeated a measure that would have expanded federal background checks for firearms purchases.[18] The vote was 54-46, with supporters falling six votes short of the required 60-vote threshold.[19] Collins was one of the 4 Republican Senators who voted in favor of the measure.[20]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Collins voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.[21]

Issues

On The Issues Vote Match

On The Issues conducts a VoteMatch analysis of all Congressional members based on 20 issue areas. Rather than relying on incumbents to complete the quiz themselves, the VoteMatch analysis is conducted using voting records, statements to the media, debate transcripts or citations from books authored by or about the candidate. Based on the results of the quiz, Collins is a Centrist. Collins received a score of 46 percent on personal issues and 50 percent on economic issues.[22]

On The Issues organization logo.

The table below contains the results of analysis compiled by staff at On The Issues.

National security

Drones filibuster

On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border, without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists criticized President Obama for not offering a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat.[24][25][26]

According to the website Breitbart, Collins was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[27][28]

The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no."[29]

DHS speculation

Upon Janet Napolitano's retirement from head of the Department of Homeland Security, there was speculation that Collins may have been tapped for the position. On July 16, 2013, she told reporters, "The White House has not contacted me, I do not expect to be contacted by the White House and I am very happy being senator from Maine and I’m fully committed to seeking re-election."[30]

Endorsements

2008

On November 4, 2008, Susan Collins won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Thomas H. Allen (D) in the general election.[33]

U.S. Senate, Maine General Election, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Susan Collinsincumbent

61.3%

444,300

Democratic

Thomas H. Allen

38.6%

279,510

N/A

Other

0.1%

620

Total Votes

724,430

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Susan Collins, click [show] to expand the section.

2002

On November 5, 2002, Susan Collins won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Chellie Pingree (D) in the general election.[34]

U.S. Senate, Maine General Election, 2002

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Susan Collinsincumbent

58.4%

295,041

Democratic

Chellie Pingree

41.6%

209,858

Total Votes

504,899

1996

On November 5, 1996, Susan Collins won election to the United States Senate. She defeated Joseph E. Brennan (D), John C. Rensenbrink (I) and William P. Clarke (Taxpayers) in the general election.[35]

U.S. Senate, Maine General Election, 1996

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Susan Collins

49.2%

298,422

Democratic

Joseph E. Brennan

43.9%

266,226

Independent

John C. Rensenbrink

3.9%

23,441

Taxpayers

William P. Clarke

3.1%

18,618

N/A

Other

0%

70

Total Votes

606,777

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Collins is available dating back to 2002. Based on available campaign finance records, Collins raised a total of $12,306,142 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 19, 2013.[36]

PGI: Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Collins's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,181,156 and $4,567,000. That averages to $2,874,078, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican senators in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Collins ranked as the 48th most wealthy senator in 2012.[45] Between 2004 and 2012, Collins' net worth increased by 1,103.4 percent. Between 2004 and 2014, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[46]

Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[48]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Collins missed 0 of 5,172 roll call votes from January 1997 to April 2013, which is 0.0% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 1.7% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving.[51]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Collins paid her congressional staff a total of $2,549,604 in 2011. She ranked 16th on the list of the highest paid Republican senatorial staff salaries and ranked 50th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Maine ranked 41st in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[52]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.

2012

2011

Voting with party

June 2013

Collins voted with the Republican Party 61.5% of the time, which ranked 46 among the 46 Senate Republican members as of June 2013.

Personal

Collins lives in Bangor, Maine.[55] In August 2012 she married Thomas Daffron, chief operating officer of Jefferson Consulting Group, a lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, and a former chief of staff to Senators William Cohen, Fred Thompson and Lisa Murkowski. This was her first marriage, his second.[56]

↑The questions in the quiz are broken down into two sections -- social and economic. In social questions, liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers. For the economic questions, conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers.